This anthology is a superb collection of 36 articles covering all of the major theories, past and present, that inform criminology today. What truly sets this volume apart is the inclusion of many articles discussing novel and often overlooked perspectives in criminological theory. In fact, many of these articles have never before been included in a reader. Each article is framed by an introductory overview (discussing the article's importance, the context for its development, and the author) and concludes with discussion questions. These articles include a thorough examination of topics such as white collar crime and developmental criminology, as well a discussions of integrated theories that consider genetics, psychology, and environmental approaches. As most journal articles are typically written for a professional audience, the original articles have been substantially edited and abridged to make them more accessible to students. The resulting reader will prove to be an invaluable resource for any undergraduate or graduate course where criminological theory plays a central role.

Author Biography

Suzette Cote is Assistant Professor in the Division of Criminal Justice at California State University, Sacramento, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses that primarily deal with criminological theory, sex offenses and offenders, and family violence, child abuse, and elder abuse. She received her law degree with a concentration in Family Law (SUNY at Buffalo School of Law, 1998). Cote's dissertation, Modernity, Risk, and Contemporary Crime Control Strategies as Risk Management: An Analysis of Sex Offender Statutes and the Shift Toward a Risk Society, focuses on the shift in penal practices away from rehabilitation and treatment of individual criminals and towards the management of dangerous classes offenders. A forthcoming publication, "Megan's Law in California: The CD-ROM and the Changing Nature of Crime Control," will be published in an edited text, Sexual Violence: Policies, Practices, and Challenges (tentative title) by Debra S. Kelley and James Hodgson (Greenwood Publishing Group).